Folk customs begin with the entire funeral procession

Chapter 113 Incense Burning Heritage
Zhong Cai: What do you want to know? I've only heard about this before, but... don't you know what you've studied yourself?

Chen Miao: I was young at the time, and I only remembered some of the rhymes; I didn't remember anything else.

Zhong Cai: ..."

Zhong Cai: I don't know the specifics of the incense burning ritual; I only know it's very mysterious.

"Zhong Cai: Incense burning was a very powerful school of thought a long time ago. Anyone who knew incense burning was of high status. Compared to the Yinmen people who dealt with the dead, the high-ranking officials and nobles felt that incense burning was more in line with their values."

Zhong Cai: But later, for some reason, the tradition of burning incense seemed to have been cut off.

Zhong Cai: But I think it's quite normal. According to what my master once told me, the transmission of the incense burning method is very special. Generally, it is only when the master is no longer able to continue that he will find a disciple to pass on the incense burning method.

Zhong Cai: The reason for doing this is that only one person can inherit the qualification of burning incense between master and disciple. If the master does not die, even if the disciple knows everything, he will not be able to exert the power of burning incense.

Zhong Cai: So rather than passing on knowledge, it's more about passing on a qualification—a qualification to burn incense!

Zhong Cai: As for what this qualification specifically refers to, I don't know, but many people speculate that the qualification for the incense-burning ritual is the qualification to communicate with immortals and gods!

Zhong Cai: Only by gaining the qualification to communicate with the gods will they accept incense offerings!

Chen Miao was stunned when he saw this.

Immortal god?

He turned his head and his gaze fell on the book.

Chen Miao: Are there really gods and immortals?

Zhong Cai: Hehe, tell me when you find it. After all, you are the successor of the Incense Burning Method, which makes it easier for you to come into contact with immortals and gods than for someone like me who is from the Yin Sect.

Chen Miao: Thanks, bro. Just let me know if you need any help.

Zhong Cai: Okay.

After finishing his conversation with Zhong Cai, Chen Miao had a strange feeling when he looked at the book again.

Could it be that this book can help me communicate with the gods and immortals?

or……

Chen Miao shook his head, dismissing the thought.

Thinking about all this is pointless!
Lying in bed, Chen Miao continued to ponder his actions for tomorrow morning, unable to resist looking at the contents of the book again and again.

……

When Chen Miao woke up the next day, he couldn't remember when he had fallen asleep.

I glanced at my phone; it was 6:01 AM.

Get up and take a shower.

After everything was ready, Chen Miao woke Xiang Shang up.

"Are you leaving so early?"

"Yes, I still have some things to take care of at the museum. I'll go back and deal with them."

"Okay, contact me again if anything comes up."

Xiang Shang was about to help Chen Miao carry his travel bag when Chen Miao unexpectedly pulled out two talismans from his own bag and handed them to him.

"These two are called spirit-suppressing talismans. To use them, you need to dab them with blood from your finger to activate them. They are effective against ghosts and spirits. Keep them for self-defense."

Xiang Shang gladly accepted it, then picked up Chen Miao's travel bag and followed Chen Miao downstairs.

As soon as he stepped out of the elevator, Chen Miao became highly focused and immediately activated his Ice Heart state.

From downstairs at Xiang Shangjia's house to the parking lot outside the community, it's only a little over fifty meters.

Along the way, I encountered very few people in the neighborhood, mostly middle-aged and elderly people who came out to exercise. There wasn't a single young person, let alone a young woman with fair skin.

When I left the residential area, there were more people outside.

Three breakfast shops on both sides of the residential area have already opened: a steamed bun shop, a soy milk, fried dough stick, and tofu pudding shop, and a spicy soup and steamed bun shop.

There were more than twenty people at the breakfast stall, and people kept passing by to buy breakfast.

Among those sitting were only three young women.

Chen Miao only glanced at it and didn't look at it much, only keeping an eye on it out of the corner of his eye.

Upon reaching the car, Chen Miao asked Xiang Shang to place the travel bag on the passenger seat, while he prepared to chat with Xiang Shang for a few more minutes.

After all, the malice hadn't appeared yet, so he couldn't leave.

"Okay, let's go."

Xiang Shang said.

"Wait a minute."

"What are you waiting for?"

"I suddenly want to spend some time with you."

"Uh, I'm about to find a boyfriend, so don't do anything rash!"

Xiang Shang's "please let me go" look left Chen Miao speechless.

"What, are you saying that if you're not in a relationship, you can do whatever you want?"

Xiang Shang feigned hesitation. "It's not that it's impossible~"

Chen Miao felt a chill run down his spine and was about to kick Xiang Shang when he suddenly realized something was wrong.

This chill has lasted far too long!
is her!

Is she watching me?
"Alright, I'm leaving. Call me if you need anything."

After Chen Miao finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the car door, the malice lingering on him the whole time.

Chen Miao opened the car door and turned around.

My eyes inadvertently scanned the locations of the breakfast shops.

At one point, he seemed to make eye contact with a pair of eyes.

A shiver ran through him, but thankfully he was in a state of calm. Chen Miao naturally looked away and got into the car.

Malice was present throughout this process.

Chen Miao breathed a sigh of relief.

The presence of malice means that the other party did not notice anything unusual about Chen Miao.

Chen Miao immediately started the car and slowly drove away.

After turning a corner, the malice disappeared.

While driving, Chen Miao took out his phone and called Qi Ning.

"I think I've found the person who killed Sun Yi. I need to check the surveillance footage. Where should I go?"

Qi Ning paused for a moment, then immediately told Chen Miao to head towards the police station.

Without hesitation, Chen Miao drove straight to the police station.

At the same time, he also opened the book.

Chapter Five: Epilogue - The Shepherd

"...I sensed a malice that sent chills down my spine!"

Fortunately, I was alert and did not do anything unusual.

"I drove away from Xiang Shangjia's residential area. On the way, I contacted Qi Ning, who told me to go to the location of the management bureau."

"When we arrived, I had Qi Ning pull up the surveillance footage from the entrance of Xiangshang Residential Area."

"Soon, the surveillance footage was adjusted to the moment I left the community. From the moment I got into the car, someone was watching me until my car was out of her sight."

"I've confirmed it, it's her!"

"Qi Ning used surveillance footage to track the woman's route and found her hideout."

"After that, Qi Ning took three colleagues who had just returned from a mission to that location, while I waited for news from them in front of the monitor."

"Soon, I saw on the surveillance footage that the four of them carried out their plan methodically and entered the room where the woman was staying."

"At that moment, as I watched the surveillance footage, I felt that something was wrong, but I couldn't figure out what the problem was."

"What happened next was beyond my expectations. No one came out of the room that Qi Ning and the other three entered, but in the room next door, that woman... came out!"

"I watched the woman leave."

"Afterwards, I went to the hotel with the people from the Investigation Bureau and saw Qi Ning and the others' bodies."

"A fight broke out in the room, but the opponent in the fight seemed to be Qi Ning and the other three themselves."

"They died at each other's hands."

"This matter alarmed several Class C investigators from the Bureau."

"But by the time they made their move, the woman had already vanished without a trace."

"After that, I always kept Xiang Shang and Gigi Lai by my side to ensure their safety."

"After two weeks of constant vigilance, I became listless. Xiang Shang was worried about my condition and suggested that the two of them take two hours during the day to watch over me and help me rest."

"Although I was somewhat worried, my condition did not allow me to disagree. After that, with daytime sleep, my spirits gradually recovered."

"Two more weeks have passed, and my spirits have gradually recovered, and I've gradually relaxed."

"After discussing it, Xiang Shang and Gigi Lai decided to stay at the funeral home from now on. Xiang Shang is not short of money and can support Gigi Lai."

"We've pledged our lives to each other, but for the rest of our lives, do we have to take me with us in everything we do?"

"I felt this wouldn't work, so I kept trying to find a solution."

"But before I could come up with a solution, one afternoon, I felt a sharp pain in my chest while I was sleeping."

"When I opened my eyes, I saw Xiang Shang holding a knife and stabbing me in the heart."

"On the chair next to her is Gigi Lai, whose throat has been slit."

"I am dead."

……

(End of this chapter)